Over the River
by Sapphire Drizzle
Summary: Five years have passed since Ogino Chihiro's visit in the Spirit World, and her memories have become hazy. She remembers a certain dragon boy, but deems him a figment of her imagination, nothing more than a dream. What happens when she stumbles upon the bridge that separates the two worlds? Rating may change in future chapters for language. Post-movie. Chihiro/Haku
1. Drenched Memories

**A/N: Yes, I know I'm starting waaaay too many stories. I can barely keep up with my other updates. (I get easily interested in new things and end up forgetting abou the others). Let's face it. I'm a procrastinator. But I love Spirited Away. :3**

**Sorry if you find it too dramatic. I'm horrible at writing emotions. xD This is only an introductory chapter, too. ****The first few chapters may be a bit boring, but it gets a lot better in the others. I try, anyway**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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_"Nothing that happens is ever forgotten, even if you can't remember it."  
_- Zeniba (Spirited Away, 2001)

.*.*.*.

CHAPTER ONE  
Drenched Memories

.*.*.*.

A young girl was hunched over the window sill, her chin resting upon crossed arms.

The heavy pitter-patter of rain sounded against the shut pane, while strong winds howled outside along with the seemingly endless downpour, causing the streets to become slick, flooded. Jaded, chocolate brown eyes watched absentmindedly as tiny droplets of water trickled down the glass.

Nights were stormy for the past few days, and Chihiro often stayed up to watch it rain. She couldn't sleep.

Her finger slowly trailed over the cool surface of the window, and the girl shifted her gaze over to her hazy reflection. Large eyes stared back at her, which would have been considered pretty, had it not been for the tired, dark circles beneath them. Her expression was blank, but at the same time, it held something.

She had the face of yearning.

Though it had only been five years since her encounter in the Spirit World, Chihiro could not recall much that had happened. There were bits and pieces, but she found it too difficult to put together. However, almost every night since her departure, Chihiro would have indistinct dreams and memories.

They eventually became nightmares.

Normally, it started out peaceful. She would be standing in some beautiful fields, flowers grazing her bare toes. The breeze would blow smoothly and she would smile as she tucked back a stray hair from her eyes. Beside her would be a boy. It was the same boy each time, but Chihiro could only vaguely remember his appearance. He seemed to have dark hair that reached the end of his neck, cut precisely, and stunning emerald green eyes. But in her dreams he would usually be a dragon, and she would sit upon him as they both flew through the clouds.

Then there would be a falling feeling.

It wasn't terrifying until she would hit the water. Each time she plunged, Chihiro would feel a suffocating burn in her lungs, begging for air as she could do nothing but drown. She would try to reach out, but to no avail. And each time, she would wake up in a pool of sweat as everything turned black.

Was it all in her imagination? Even the dragon boy? She remembered his name. She remembered him promising her something. That they would meet again. Was he real? Or was she crazy?

The young brunette knew one thing was true for sure, though. Drowning as a mere child in the Kohaku River.

Even so, Chihiro couldn't help but feel more and more drawn to the river, rather than being mentally scarred and afraid like most people would expect her to be. Something saved her. She did not know what. Was it the dragon boy?

No, she was being silly. He couldn't possibly be real.

…Right?

The fifteen-year-old sighed, her head moving from the window. She wished she could just stand in the rain and wash away all of her confusion. Almost instantly, an idea appeared in her head and Chihiro bent down to unlatch the window. Grunting, she lifted pane, the sudden spray of water and gust of wind causing her to shiver.

She raised it higher and higher until it could go no more. The volume of the storm heightened and the wind entered the room, her clothes and hair swaying briskly, goosebumps appearing all over her body. But she would not stop there, no.

Chihiro grabbed the window sill, her fingers clenching so hard that her knuckled turned white, and with one swift motion, jerked her neck outside. A blast of icy air slapped against her face, which was already turning pink from the cold and her teeth chattered. She waited for her painful, pent-up feelings to ebb away, but nothing changed.

Hair dancing wildly and body shaking, Chihiro tried to keep her eyes open. She leaned out of the window further, not caring how wet she was getting.

"You promised…"

Her words were drowned out by the sounds of the rain.

_"You promised!"_ she cried louder, her voice hanging in the air this time.

Chihiro's jaw fought to close but she would not let it. Her heart thumped violently in her chest. Meaningless tears fell from her eyes, only to be whisked away by the wind and rain. Everything, all the pain, the confusion, the longing, she had kept inside her all these years wanted out. They wanted out now and she wanted answers. The girl held it in no longer.

She screamed his name.

The dragon boy's name.

.*.*.*.

* * *

**When she left the bridge, it basically erased her memories or something... I vaguely recall reading the director stating this. Or something like it. Oh, well. *shrugs***

**Reviews are love!**


	2. The Right Trail

**A/N: Super late update, I know. Sorry about that. I don't get much time to write, and I often lose inpsiration as quick as I get it. We'll see where I take this. Anyway, read and review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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CHAPTER TWO  
The Right Trail

.*.*.*.

_"Bzzz—Bzzz—Bzzz—"_

Groaning, Chihiro reached out and punched the snooze button on her alarm clock. She sat up and threw the covers carelessly at the foot of her bed, scratching her unkempt brown hair and yawning. Golden rays of sunlight seeped from her window onto the floor.

What time was it, anyway? Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her hand, Chihiro glanced at her clock, now dangling on the edge of the side table from a single cord.

Bright, green numbers blinked fiercely at her—9:43 A.M.

Her eyes widened and she immediately sprung from the mattress.

_Oh crap, I'm late! I—_

Chihiro stopped still. Realization slowly dawned on her as she remembered that the school was closed. Summer vacation had started just a few days ago. (And thankfully, too)! She allowed a relieved smile to slip onto her face as she grabbed a brush and pulled her hair into a lose ponytail. It had grown longer over the years, falling a little past her shoulder blades.

The house was cold from the drab weather outside, so she shrugged on a sweater and stepped downstairs to greet her parents. Silence filled the halls and she wondered where they could've gone. Chihiro shuffled towards the refrigerator, where a little note was attached, written in familiar curly handwriting:

_Dear Daughter,_

_Your father and I have to attend an important business meeting of his in Fukuoka for a few weeks. We are very sorry that we can't bring you along or stay with you, but don't worry! We'll be back soon, Chihiro! There is food in the pantry and money on the counter, but we trust you to go to the supermarket alone as long as you stay safe. Also, your Auntie Natsumi may check up on you sometimes and we'll try to call or send letters your way! Love you, sweetheart, and remember, just call or write if you need anything!_

_Love,_

_ Mom _

Eyebrows knitted together in confusion, Chihiro reread the letter once more.

_How could they just leave me alone like that? I can't believe… Oh…_

She vaguely remembered them discussing it with her yesterday night. They came up to her room to talk about it, and she nodded as if she understood. However, she had been too lost in her thoughts to be paying any attention and was now regretting it. Sighing, Chihiro turned away from the note and flopped down in the chair, her head dropping on the table. She exhaled suddenly and her bangs flew up from the air.

Then, the abrupt grumbling of her stomach caused her features to crinkle in annoyance. At first she ignored it, but after a while, her hunger pangs became too much and she moaned. What was she going to do alone for two weeks? It would be so _boring_! Another rumble passed through her abdomen and the brunette lifted her head from the table.

With one last dramatic groan, Chihiro stood up and proceeded to make breakfast.

.*.*.*.

The day passed slowly.

Chihiro attempted several times to contact her parents, but was left with a busy tone. She figured they were in the middle of something and had tried to text her friend, Kameko who only responded that she couldn't come over because she and her family were gone on a trip, too.

Looking out the window, Chihiro saw the sky become a darker shade of indigo, yellow, and red as the sun began to set in the distance. A twinge of remorse hit her when she realized that she had pretty much wasted the day, but she perked up when she noticed that it wasn't raining. Perhaps she would be able to go on a bike ride tonight.

Normally, her parents wouldn't have allowed her to go out so late, but since they were not here, Chihiro did not give it much thought. She skipped up the stairs and barged into her room, rummaging through her closet.

The brunette pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a green full-sleeve shirt that did nothing for her thin, lanky figure, but she honestly could not care less. Glancing in the mirror, Chihiro knew she still had quite a while before she would actually start looking like a fifteen-year-old, rather than the scrawny, flat-chested girl that stood in front of her. Still, at least she was growing taller at a normal rate. At 165 cm, she exceeded over her mother, and happened to be little over the height of her father's shoulders.

Her face was beginning to mature, her eyelashes longer, her lips fuller, and her nose petite but more pointed. She was pretty in most senses, but Chihiro didn't think so. She thought she looked the same as ever.

Knowing that it would be cold outside, Chihiro slipped on her favorite black sweatshirt and some warm boots that stopped above her ankles. She looked in the back of her closet to find her emergency backpack that she took with her when she was alone. Her friends called her silly for having such a backpack, but Chihiro only smiled at them and laughed. She may have gotten courageous and adventurous over the past five years but that certainly did not mean she was going to be completely unprepared! She unzipped the pack and briefly went through its contents.

Water bottles. A package of nuts. Some extra clothes and socks. Spare keys. Money. A few of her favorite classic books. Playing cards. Pepper spray. A pocket knife.

It looked fine for now. Random, sure, but fine.

Finally, she tied her hair again, grabbed her iPod, put on her backpack, and went downstairs to the backyard.

Chihiro found her bike hidden in the back of the shed. The air was cool but perfect for riding, despite the dampness of the streets, and she took a deep breath, inhaling the wet air. Though it was darkening, Chihiro could see well enough to ride safely. She moved the kickstand as she hoisted herself onto the seat of the bike. Adjusting her backpack, Chihiro pulled on her hood and headphones and played some music on low volume.

Her tires were slick against the road but Chihiro managed to control her speed for a while. About twenty minutes had passed until she braked at the point where the trail began. Chihiro looked at the two paths and contemplated whether she should take her usual route, the left, or the other trail. She did not know where it led.

She was about to bike along her usual trail when something in her mind stopped her.

_Come on, Chihiro! You never go that way! Don't you want to know where it leads to? Your parents aren't home, so they won't know, plus you have your emergency backpack and phone with you…_

_What could go wrong?_

Chihiro stopped. She thought for a moment. And then, shrugging, she gave in and went the other way.

Her bike disappeared into the woods.

.*.*.*.

It was a long way up. The hill never seemed to end and Chihiro found herself out of breath sooner than she would have liked. The sun was setting lower and lower.

"I should turn back," she murmured softly, her cheeks rosy from the cold and lack of oxygen.

_No, you're almost there! _the voice in her head snapped back.

_Where?_

There was no response. Chihiro felt silly arguing with her own brain and willed herself to continue, even if that meant slowly lugging the bike on the trail. She lightly hummed the song that played in her headphones as she wiped away a bead of sweat from her forehead.

As if on cue, a rumble of thunder echoed through the sky, surprising the girl. She mentally cursed as it began to drizzle and pedaled harder, her breath coming out in short, ragged, sounds. Chihiro reached the top of the hill and biked farther until some large structure came into view.

It was a tunnel.

A strange sense of familiarity washed over her, and she continued pedaling until she reached the end of the trail. Chihiro parked her bike under the nearest tree, pulling the top of her hood farther over her face to protect it from the rain. Something caught her eye.

She removed the headphones from her ears and stepped off of the bike, her boots crunching on the moist grass. She pushed out the kickstand of her bike and moved closer. Chihiro gazed curiously at a peculiar statue standing before the tunnel.

A thought crossed her mind.

_When have I seen that before? _


	3. Familiar Lands

**A/N: Yay, quicker update! Don't expect too much of it, though. xD This chapter is a little longer and hopefully more interesting! The next one will be even better, but remember that reviews help encourage me and make me update faster! So please read and review if you want more! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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CHAPTER THREE  
Familiar Lands

.*.*.*.

The rain poured down relentlessly in the Spirit Realm. Sharp gusts of air blew around angrily and those forced to stay indoors cursed the spirits that caused the weather to turn so forcefully. The bathhouse was packed and a certain, very annoyed, weasel spirit was busy cleaning up after all of them.

"Those damn slugs," Rin muttered, mopping the floor where the nasty spirits had left a slimy trail. "Leaving this goop wherever the hell they please…"

She sighed as she tried anxiously to get the last of the sticky substance off of the floor, a frown plastered on her youthful face. A crack of lighting sounded in the skies causing her to flinch and almost drop the mop, and she grumbled out swears.

"Look, everyone ! Gold!"

Rin along with several other working spirits stopped to look in the direction of the voice, only to find Uen, an impish frog spirit, grinning wickedly back at them, no gold in sight. Apparently, he found it funny to trick the rest of the bathhouse staff and was on his back, trying to muffle his obnoxious giggling.

They groaned, grumbling amongst themselves, when a sharp voice rang out, interrupting their annoyance.

"Oi! Stop fooling around and get back to work!" the voice barked, none the nicely. Cold emerald eyes glared for a moment before disappearing back into the shadows. Rin rolled her eyes and picked up the water bucket, now contaminated with slug spirit slime.

Working in a bathhouse under that bloody dragon was worse than the witch, Yubaba! Well… perhaps that was an overstatement.

"Ha," she mumbled to herself. "At least he won't turn us into pigs…"

Right. He never threatened to turn the staff into pigs.

No, he straight up said he would eat them.

And to make matters worse, it was rather difficult to tell if he was joking or not. They figured it would be best not to take chances. After all, some spirits had seemed to gone missing just a while ago—

Ah, it would be better to think nothing of it, altogether. _Let's just finish here so we can take a break…_

Swish, swish, mopping the floor. Oh, what joyous fun.

.*.*.*.

Moving tentatively towards the statue, the young girl reached her hand out and grazed her fingers over its smooth surface. She turned her head to the tunnel it stood in front of and her eyebrows furrowed, wondering where it lead.

_Don't go in there, Chihiro! It could be dangerous!_

_Ah, cut the girl some slack and let her live a little! Go ahead, see where it leads!_

Chihiro shook her head. The voices she had been constantly arguing with were getting obnoxiously louder. A moment of deep contemplation hit her as she simply stood there, deciding what to do.

"…"

She sighed. Maybe she should just go home. She walked back to her bike but before she could mount it and turn back around to the path she came from, she glanced again at the statue.

It stared at her like some ancient Japanese deity and a sudden overwhelming feeling started deep down in her gut. It wouldn't hurt to see what was in there…

So, instead, she grabbed her backpack off of the seat and walked towards the mouth of the mysterious tunnel, as if it was controlling her. Something about was so compelling, so persuasive, and so damn familiar, that she couldn't turn back.

It was now or never.

She walked in.

.*.*.*.

The sky seemed to be getting darker by the minute and an odd, frightened feeling emerged in her chest as the young girl continued walking. Why did this place seem so eerily familiar? As the rain poured down, she stepped, drenched, further down the tunnel, eventually stumbling upon the outside.

Tall umbrellas stood over the stalls of food that lined the corners, protecting them from the harsh weather, and Chihiro couldn't help but feel she had been here. She stepped closer and examined the stalls, leaning over the counter to see if anyone was there but she was met with emptiness. How very strange…

_How could they leave food out like this? No one's even here! _

Chihiro shook herself from thoughts and stared down at the many delicious looking dishes on the counter. Her stomach growled hungrily but she managed to turn away before she could do anything she might regret. She dropped the arm that had reached out for a dumpling. _What's wrong with me? I'm not a thief!_

Thief… _thief! _ She knew this place. Her parents—they had stolen! Yes, it was coming back to her! She and her family had come to this place and her parents had wolfed down the food from this same stall, not even bothering to pay, so then—

Ah…

But what happened after that?

She shivered suddenly, remembering how cold she was, and pulled her hood tighter around herself. The sweatshirt wasn't doing much protecting her from the rain and she yearned to be back at home in front of a heater with dry clothes on. Frankly, that wasn't an option at the moment. She looked around.

Some strange structure caught her eye. A bridge, perhaps? Her footsteps splashed on the flooded ground but her doubts were answered. Yes, it was a bridge, over a deep trench where a river once flowed. The rain pouring down into the trench created shallow waters but did not nearly resemble the amount of water that must have originally been there.

Chihiro didn't realize how long she had been staring when a sudden crack of lightning made her freeze and tense up. Her eyes widened and, not knowing what to do, she hurried on to the bridge. Her teeth chattered but her mind wandered elsewhere, seeking for answers, as she gazed through bleary vision at the shallow river. It would have been smarter to go back home at this point, but she didn't want to. Confusion coursed through her veins.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Her parents… Sudden flashbacks of large, hideous pigs entered her mind and she furrowed her eyebrows. What did pigs have to do with anything?

Pigs? Pigs… Parents? Her parents turned into pigs? No, that didn't sound right But… at the same time, it did. _How?_ Chihiro squeezed her eyes shut tighter, trying to ignore the wind slapping against her cheeks, tingeing them with a pale pink, and the numbing of her fingers as they begged for warmth, buried deep within her pockets.

_What is this place?_

A sudden airy and spacious feeling started around her, but she kept her eyes closed. The feeling ended as quickly as it had begun and she paid it no mind.

Parents—pigs—_what?_ She was remembering… she had to dig deeper!

A witch? Called… Yu… Yubaba? A strange name found its way into her mind but before she could think too deeply about it, an odd tingling sensation all over her body caused her to gasp and open her eyes.

The storm had flourished. But the land had changed. The riverbed, just a shallow stream of water, was now flowing freely threatening to flood any moment. Eyes the size of saucers, the young girl swiveled on her toes, taking in her surroundings with a thumping heart.

She didn't notice it before—a large, Japanese-style bathhouse—was now shining with lights, as odd-looking, semi-transparent creatures were huddling inside the doors and under the roof, some bothered by the rain while others were not. Lanterns were lined everywhere and Chihiro turned back again to see the food stalls also aglow and bustling with hungry creatures. Not just any creatures.

Spirits.

Chihiro's heart raced extremely fast, feeling as though it would literally burst out of her chest and her mouth went dry.

_I-Impossible! This is impossible!_

She blinked. Once. Twice. Twenty times. Trying to make it all go away. _Go away, go away, go away!_

It didn't.

To make matters even more frightening, the tingling feeling was still upon her. Chihiro glanced down at her body, shocked to find that she could see through her fingertips. A scream stuck in her throat, not able to escape. She was becoming invisible… no…

She was disappearing!

_Okay, calm down, Chihiro… This is all a dream…_

_No, it's not, you idiot! Go do something or you'll disappear forever!_

Wait. Disappear forever?

_"Here, eat this. You must eat food from this world or you will disappear forever."_

_Who_ had said this? A boy… With forest green hair and kind eyes…

_The dragon boy! Haku!_

He wasn't just a dream? He was real? _Was_ he real? There was no time to think; she had to get something to eat fast. Her legs finally reacted from her temporary paralysis and they seemed to think for themselves as she hurried down to the food stalls.

Hoping no one would notice, she crept by, undetected, and allowed a transparent arm to swipe something off of the counter, a bread roll, it seemed. Forget morals, this was serious! However, as she began to creep off with roll, an angry voice halted her.

"Stop, thief! Come back!"

Caught. She turned around. Trying to rouse up as much courage as she could, Chihiro looked over at the frog-like spirit with a thin mustache manning the stall, and though he was small, he rose several heads above her due to the fact that he was standing on a tall pedestal. She cleared her throat.

"Please," she started, surprised to find her own voice faltering. "I need to eat something—it's my only chance!"

At first, the spirit simply scoffed, muttering, "Hmph, don't we all…"

Then his eyes widened and he scrutinized the girl, scrunching up his nose in disgust. She smelled like a human! His mouth opened in alarm, but before he could utter anything, Chihiro had skittered away, vanishing into the shadows.

She continued to run until she was sure she was hidden from view, ignoring the angry cries of the spirits that had witnessed the scene. Chihiro leaned against a tree in the darkness near the bathhouse and curled down on the floor, noticing how her body was becoming more transparent. She felt the rain pouring down _through_ her and she trembled. This couldn't be happening.

_Shh… Be brave, Chihiro! You're strong!_

No more hesitations. She took a deep bite of the bread roll, forgetting to savor it. At once, the tingling slowly began to vanish and her body reappeared again. Suddenly very thankful, Chihiro let out the breath she had been holding in for quite some time and leaned back against the tree. Its canopy of leaves barely shielded her from the weather.

Then, she thought. Pondered. Mulled. Reflected.

Was this world real? Or was it a dream?

It did not feel like a dream; she would have woken up by now. So then, where was she exactly? Chihiro had the feeling that she had been here before, but she simply couldn't place her finger on it. The answer was too far, not within her grasp, and it killed her.

It killed her, being so confused like this.

She sighed again and finished the bread roll. Those creatures would probably come looking for her soon, so she needed a better place to hide.

Her chocolate brown eyes once again flitted to the glowing bathhouse quite close to her. Perhaps… perhaps, she could find shelter in there. Her ears quirked at the sound of the angry spirits nearing her, and she frantically scrambled to her feet and for the backdoor.

_Squeeeak…_

The door made such a noise as she opened it, gasping at the sight before her. Dozens of short male and female frog-like creatures slipped around the bathhouse, doing odd jobs and cleaning, and there were also quite a few strange-looking things they were working for. Vague memories filled her head.

She had seen these creatures before—she was sure she had. She knew this place!

Unable to handle the cold much longer, Chihiro stumbled in, sopping wet from head to toe. Water dripped from her clothes, her backpack clinging to her shoulder and her hood framing her drenched hair. As she looked around, many spirits stopped to look back and stare at her, mouths dropping and gasps escaping their mouths.

That smell! Yuck! A _human_ had entered the Spirit Realm!

Rin noticed the spirits halting mid-work and was about to grumble and tell them to help when she followed their gaze to the peculiar person standing in the corner. Dripping water all over the floor she had just mopped. Her nostrils flared. Damn it! Who dared to make such a mess right after she had spent all of that time cleaning it up!

"Hey! You're spraying water everywhere!"

The weasel spirit frowned, stomping over to the young girl and grabbed her by the collar of her strange, sopping, clothing. "Who do you think you—"

She caught sight of the human's face, her voice and temper dropping suddenly. "—are?"

The human had round cheeks dusted with a natural pink and a button nose, features that were still maturing. She had chestnut brown hair, wet and matted against her forehead and was almost as tall as Rin, but stick thin like always.

And her eyes.

Rin recognized this strange girl's eyes the most.

They were large eyes, a lovely shade of chocolate brown with worry and fear etched in them as they watched her. Rin loosened her grasp on the girl's collar, not wanting to scare her any longer.

After all this time… could it be…? The spirit woman finally found her voice.

"…Sen? Is that you?"


	4. Dreamless Sleep

**A/N: I wanted to make this chapter better than the previous one, but it would turn out too long so I decided to wait another chapter. Don't kill me-I know this chapter is really short and kind of boring, plus I haven't updated in forever... Hopefully, the next chapter will turn out a bit more interesting. **

**However, there is a little reunion between Rin and Chihiro! (There's also a tiny mystery hidden in this chapter, maybe you can spot it... *evil laugh*)**

**R****ead and review! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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CHAPTER FOUR  
Dreamless Sleep

.*.*.*.

_Thump… thump… thump…_

Chihiro could hardly breathe, heart pounding violently in her chest. But as she stared at the angered woman before her, a sudden feeling of realization dawned on her, her fear slowly ebbing away. Everything, from her parents turning into pigs, to leaving the tunnel, passed through her mind .This was the Spirit Realm! The place she had come five years ago!

But who was this woman? Chihiro stared for a moment at her brown, silky hair, parted in two over her forehead, at her cunning dark eyes, at her rose pink painted lips. Then it hit her. It was her, the weasel spirit that had taken her in and helped her for the first time she had come!

It was Rin!

She watched Rin's eyes widen and felt her drop her tight grasp on the collar of her soaking wet sweatshirt.

"…Sen? Is that you?" she asked, sounding astonished.

_Sen?_

Oh, yes, that was the name she was called! The one that witch had given her five years ago!

Chihiro nodded fervently, her voice hoarse from the cold and wavering. "Y-Yes! It's me!"

Rin looked at her, disbelief all over her expression, and dropped her hand completely. Within moments, a wide grin split her youthful face, making her dark eyes glimmer with an excitement. She embraced the girl, pulling her close and squeezing her tight.

"Oh, Sen, it's really you! I can't believe it!" she laughed, smothering the human. "I almost didn't recognize you because you look older!"

The spirit woman let go as Chihiro pushed her slightly away, gasping for breath. That was the tightest hug anyone had ever given her, even more suffocating that her crazy, Aunt Natsumi's! Chihiro looked up at her, a sheepish smile gracing her features.

"Really? You look the same as ever, Rin…"

"Ha, the charms of being a spirit, it seems. So…how did you find your way back?"

"I'm not sure. But someone ought to close that Spirit Gate before unwanted humans find themselves in," she joked, causing Rin to laugh again. Chihiro, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, shivered and tried to sweep her wet, matted fringes from her face.

Rin noticed this. "Whoops, sorry!" she apologized, grabbing the girl's arm. "I forget you were soaked! Here, follow me and I'll get you some dry clothes."

Chihiro sighed, relieved. She followed the spirit woman, ignoring some of the appalled looks the other workers gave her. While some of them had liked Chihiro, others weren't too fond of her, and she had always tried to steer clear of them.

But someone was watching her every move, and their intentions war far from pure.

The two disappeared up to the second floor.

.*.*.*.

As soon as Chihiro entered the room to the female workers' quarters, she recognized the many futons on the ground and was reminded of when she too had slept here. Rin glanced back at her and smirked.

"What's with that stupid smile, eh, Sen?"

"Huh?" Chihiro looked at her, not realizing she had been smiling. "Oh, I just remember this place is all."

She looked around, dropping her backpack to the floor and pulling off her sopping wet boots and socks. Rin tossed her a towel that she used to dry her hair out.

"Give me a minute, I'll find you some clothes," Rin muttered, digging through the closet. Chihiro held out a hand.

"Oh, it's alright! I have some extra clothes," she informed, unzipping her backpack. The spirit woman gave her a thoughtful look and then shook her head. An amused look slipped onto her face, eyebrow raised.

"You probably don't want to wear those clothes, here. You already smell too much like a human and if you wear them, the others will _never_ leave you alone."

Chihiro shrugged. She had a point. Being the main topic of bathhouse gossip wasn't exactly fun.

She pulled down her sweatshirt hood and flipped her soaked her away from her neck and forehead, trying to air out the auburn strands. She then pulled off the sweatshirt, glad to find that the green shirt underneath was reasonably dry. Rin turned back to her with a salmon pink worker hakama.

"Maybe your old uniform will still fit…" she murmured, holding the hakama up against Chihiro's thin frame. It was too short. "Wow, you've gotten taller, Sen!"

"Yeah. Puberty, I guess."

Chihiro had stuck out her lower lip in a bit of a pout, but Rin only gave her a brief look of confusion, apparently not understanding the term this human had used. She dismissed it with a roll of her eyes and thrust her old hakama back in the closet as she shuffled around for another one. After pulling out several different hakamas, each a different size, Rin realized that none of them were the right size for this thin and lanky teenage girl. Many were too short or too baggy.

"Darn…" the weasel spirit said, frowning at the closet, hands on her hips. She turned to face the human, an apologetic smile on her rose painted lips as she ran a hand over her head. "I don't think we have any in your size."

"You don't? Then what should I wear?"

"I guess you're gonna have to wear the clothes you brought," Rin sighed. "I'll talk to the seamstress tomorrow about sewing a custom-made hakama for you. I just hope she doesn't threaten to eat either of us…"

Rin had muttered the last part, but Chihiro tried her best not to think about it. Being eaten? On her first few days back into the Spirit World? That would be a tad disheartening.

"Seamstress?" she questioned, flopping down gracelessly on one of the futons on the floor. "Who's the seamstress?"

"Oh, right, you've never met her. Well… she's a cotton spirit that lives past the fields—she makes our clothing but she demands way too much payment. That's why we try to salvage everything as much as we can but sometimes it can't be helped," the older spirit woman explained, leaning against the closet door.

Nodding, the human girl pulled her backpack close to her and began searching through its contents, pulling out a clean red pajama since her green shirt was mostly dry, and tossed it to the side.

As she began changing her pants, Chihiro realized that she hadn't seen the dragon boy from her dream at all yet… which wasn't really all that surprising since she hadn't really done much other than cause trouble since she arrived just twenty minutes ago. For some reason, her memories of Haku were still a little hazy and she wanted to meet him so she could remember… Yes, a promise… The promise he'd made to her…

Did he really make a promise to her?

Of course he did! That was the reason Chihiro could remember him! She remembered his voice, his face, his words, his promise—but even so, the whole thing felt like another dream she would eventually wake up from.

No, this was much too vivid to be a dream.

She could tell what a dream was; she'd had plenty. That meant that the dragon boy was real and this Spirit World was not a part of her imagination.

"Hey, Rin…" she spoke without even realizing it. "Is Haku still around?"

The weasel spirit quirked an eyebrow as mischievous smirk lit up her face. "That sleazy dragon? Yeah. Why, Chihiro? Gotta a thing for him?"

Without meaning to, Chihro felt her face heat up. "What?" she asked flabbergasted. "O-Of course not! I just want to talk to him! You know that, Rin! I haven't seen any of you in five years!"

Rin laughed, waving her hand. "Geez, Sen, take a joke! I know what you mean. But, are you serious? Has it really been five years?"

Chihiro nodded dumbly, still a little fazed from earlier.

"Wow. That must be a lot for humans, right?"

"…What do you mean?"

"Well, most spirits feel time differently. Since we live for so long, five years doesn't feel like much. Ha, even a century can fly by pretty quick!" the weasel spirit said.

"So, you didn't really think about it?"

Rin could sense an aura of disappointment from the human girl before her and smiled gently. "No, I did. Life without you is pretty boring here, Sen. In fact, the more a spirit misses or feels for something, the harder time flies."

"But, Rin! You just said that it went by fast!"

"Hey, I still missed you," Rin reassured kindly, lessening the anxiety in the brunette's eyes. "Although, I think some had it tougher than me, Haku, for sure…"

A gasp was caught in her throat and Chihiro's eyes widened. "Haku… missed me?"

"'Course. We could all tell. He'd never admit to me, but I know these five years were pretty hard on him. He's become a bigger jerk than before, Sen, you won't believe it!"

Chihiro could hear the smile in her voice and couldn't help but crack a grin of her own. It quickly disappeared, however, when she realized that Haku still had never come to see her in the past five years. Did he really miss her as much as Rin was saying, as much as she missed him?

She shook the thoughts away as a sudden yawn emerged from her. Chihiro suddenly realized just how exhausted and sleepy she felt and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep on the spot.

She would deal with Haku later.

"You tired?" Rin was asking.

"Yeah," the human girl nodded, eyes drooping. "I've had a long day…"

"Well, I'd better go explain to the other _yuna _that you're staying here for a while," Rin started, opening the door. "Don't worry; they'll be happy to see you."

Chihiro heard her mutter, "I hope", before she closed the door and left her inside. Curling up on her futon, the teenage girl could only think and think and think, never allowing her mind any peace. She thought about how she came back to the Spirit Realm and how she would be able to leave and explain this to Aunt Natsumi if she ever came to visit the empty house. She wondered if she would be able to keep in contact with her parents as they wrote letters home often and called.

She pondered over the Spirit Realm, the bathhouse and its workers, Yubaba, but mostly Haku.

Another yawn escaped the girl, and before Chihiro could even think about controlling herself, she felt her eyelids grow heavy and body sink. The futon was so warm and inviting, even if it usually made her back hurt, and she let out a breathy sigh of contentedness.

"Haku…"

For the first time in a long time, Chihiro fell into quiet and dreamless sleep.


End file.
